I was just wondering what everyone thought about teachers being "the keeper of the children". Every year, I become closely attached to my class. I think because they are so young (5-6), I feel very protective of them. I make sure they have everything they need. If they don't have a coat, we find them one. If they don't have tennis shoes, we get them some. I take on these responsibilities, not because I have to but because I want to do so. I couldn't stand it if I didn't. I know my sole responsibility to the children is to educate them, but I feel strongly that is also my responsibility to meet their needs physically and emtionally-to make them feel wanted and loved. What do you think?

DANA

Dana, I strongly agree with you. I have a child in my class with severe asthma. About a month or so ago we had to call 911 because of the severity of the attack. What really got to me was at the hospital his mother was standing back while her little boy was gasping for breath. I waited for her to go to him to try and calm and comfort him. She never did. So I did. When I went back to the hospital later that afternoon, I found that he almost died. When he saw me, he wanted to know if he could come back to school the next day. He couldn't because they transferred him to another hospital in Winston to the ICU. I later found out his mother left him there alone. Lucky for him he gets his nurturing from his grandmother and from school. It is so heartbreaking. I know his mother does not follow up on treating his asthma the way she should and at the hospital she told many untruths about his medications. Thank goodness his grandmother (actually great grand) knows this. She and I have a very good relationship and she keeps me informed. Didn't mean to ramble on ---a sleepless night.

I think we are in a sense the keeper of the children we teach. How can you not become attached to the children we teach? We spend half our day with them and most of the other half thinking about them. We may be that one person who really makes a difference in a child's life. We may be that one person who makes that child realize that they can be anything they want to be. I get very frustrated with the parents of many of the children I teach. I have a very hard time understanding how they can neglect their child and not make thier child their number one priority. I guess many of them grew up in a similar situation and don't know any better. This year, I feel that I am teaching parents as much as I am teaching children. Many really don't understand how important thier job is and what they must do.

Absolutely! It's in our nature to be childrens keepers. Remember we don't do this for the money. There are many great parents out there who attend to all their childs needs. Unfortunatley there are also a great number who gave birth, and then gave up.
I have Exceptional Children (special Ed) kids. We have to have meetings on these children all the time. Parents are suppose to be there! Nine out of ten times, it's only the teaching staff at these meetings . At these meetings we are deciding placement for these children on the spectrum of self contained to regular classrooms. The parents know that these decisions are being made and that we expect and welcome their input. Sadly, they don't show up I understand and am empathtic to the parents who did not have an "enjoyable" experince in school. But some days I get resentful that #1 it wasn't me that gave you that bad experince, and I am trying to make up for the person who did that to you, and #2 I am putting more into raising their child then they are ( or so it seems).
Sorry for my rantings- Can you tell I had a parent not show up for a meeting today.

Erica, I'm glad you were there for your student. Many years ago, a third grader at my school was hit by a car as she was crossing the highway to go home. Her house was directly across the highway from the school and her mother was home, but the little girl wanted her teacher. The teacher, along with the mother stayed with the child until the ambulance arrived. Both the mother and teacher went to the hospital.


How many times have your students called you "mama," grabbed your hand as you walked down the hall, or asked if they could go home with you?

I'm gald my students feel I'm special to them, but I'm sad that some students don't always seem to have those same feelings for their parents.

Cindy

I know what you mean, Cindy. I am always gratified to know that I mean as much to them as they mean to me when they hold my hand or tell me they love me. But it also hurts to know that many of them aren't getting the nurturing they need form their own families at home, and that in some cases, where parents are working 2nd shift jobs, they may not even see their parents in the afternoon or before they go to bed. If the people they are with aren't loving grandparents, or another close relative, who do they have to support them both emotionally and physically?

reading over the posts i am struck by what a compassionate group of people this class is made of. humorous, kind, nuturing, character building, and just plain loving teachers. i think all together we would make an incredible school. i feel more positively about education knowing there are not just a few isolated people worrying and fussing over kids, but close by, lots of good good people. hats off to you guys. airlie

This is a strange thought...but Arlie brings up something I thought of when I read some of your posts earlier. I am trying to decide what I think is the truth here.

EITHER, teachers who care are also the ones furthering their education as we are--thus explaining why the group seems to be SUCH caring teachers...

OR, we don't see how much our co-workers care because we are so busy with the tasks at hand as we go through the day.

The reason I wonder is that sometimes it seems that other teachers at my school (RANDY, CATHY--don't you repeat this EVER) just don't care as much. Not all of them, many do care a lot. But a few of them seem to almost dislike children...at times, not always.

amanda, i know exactly the people who work with me who do not care or who are cruel to children. day in, day out you see the edges of people's character by how they greet you and others and children in the hall. you see how they re- act to families , welcome new children in the middle of the year etc.

there will always be people with whom you differ with but the bottom line we always use at our school is are children being harmed? are they being dis-respected? everyone knows who those people are who just show up to collect a check.then there are those who are cruel.

i feel very lucky to work with a compassionate woman principal who does everything in her power to nurture children and to encourage the positive in her teachers. those who do not have the" heart "are tactfully urged to teach elsewhere. our school motto for this year is "raising the praising... minimizing the criticizing"... it is a little cutesy but i think it admirable to strive for such a goal.

I definitely know the kind of person you are talking about. There is someone like that at my school. Although she seems to dislike all children, it seems that every year there is one child in particular that she picks to be her "worst student." If you walk by her room, you can here her ranting and raving at the poor child. I really don't know why she continues to teach because she acts as though she really hates it. She has a terrible reputation for complaining about anything and everything. She seems to think that she was unfairly given a horrible bunch of stupid kids - every year.
I really felt bad today when I had to call one of my parents. A litttle girl in my room kept saying that her head hurt. She didn't eat any of her lunch. She is a really sad child. There are seven kids in her family and one on the way. She always seems so sad and in the summer months she stays covered with bug bites and unidentified rashes. When I called, her dad he told me that all she had was a bad case of lying. He seemed to think that she felt like she was missing something at home and just wanted to get out of school. He said that he would come to get her and put an end to this lying once and for all. I had called one day last week when she wasn't feeling well. He dad claimed that she was fine once she got home. I don't know if she has ever seen a doctor. She always has a washed out look about her like she really doesn't feel well. When I told her that her dad was coming to get her, she said, "Oh no! I didn't want my dad to come get me. Why did you call him?" Her mom was at work and her dad had answered the phone. I've never met or had any dealings with him until last week. I worried about her the rest of the day.

I just thought of another great example of a caring parent. One of the other teachers on my hall got a note at the beginning of the week. She is a new teacher and she was asking me how she should respond to the note. It read - If Billy (not his real name) is going to do any reading, he'll have to do it at school. I'm tired of him showing his butt on me at home. I really couldn't help her. How do you respond to something like that? What kind of person would write a note like that to their child's teacher

I have enjoyed reading all the post you have submitted on this subject. To turn our backs on these children and in my case teens and their children would be like turning my back on myself and our future. If it was not for the grace of God, there go I...

I too enjoyed reading all these posts as Phyllis stated. I have seen my share of good teachers, those that really care and I have seen my share of those that either were burnt out or they really needed a break. Maybe at one time they had a caring spirit, and children know who really care, they are very perceptive.